Needle.



No. 879,758. PATENTED FEB. 18, 1908 F. B. FOSTER.

NEEDLE. APPLICATION FILED mun 14,1907.

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FRANK BROOKS FOSTER, OF SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA.

NEEDLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 18,- 1908.

Application filed June 14. 1907. Serial No. 378.992.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK BROOKS Fos- TER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Santa Barbara, in the county of Santa Barbara and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Needles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. p

This invention is an improved needle, relating more especially to surgical needles, and its object is to overcome the disadvantages encountered in the eye of the ordinary needle, in the matter of threading, and which requires two strands of the thread or ligature to be drawn through the cloth or tissue with each stitch, by providing a needle which may be easily and readily threaded doubling the ligature and in which the ligature will be more firmly secured or bound to the needle the greater the pull to separate them. This object I accomplish by forming the head of the needle with an aperture which enters its blunt or base end substantially centrally, and emerges a short distance therefrom at one side. At the point of emergence of the aperture an intersecting groove is provided, W1lCl1 is of sufficient depth to contain the strand or ligature with which the needle is threaded.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both views.

Figure 1 is a side view of the needle with the head thereof in central vertical section; and Fig. 2 is a plan of the needle, illustrating the manner in which it is threaded.

More specifically described, the needlecomprises the usual tapered and pointed body 10 which may be either straight or curved, and has a uniform cylindrical head 11 in the place of the eye ordinarily formed on devices of this character. Substantially centrally entering the end of the head 11 is an aperture 12 which, as shown in Fig. 1, is curved or inclined to the longitudinal axis of the needle, and emerges at one side a short distance from the point of entry. A groove 13 intersects the point of emergence of the aperture 12 and encircles the body of the needle, the groove being a depth substantially equal to the diameter of the aperture 12, whereby it will wholly contain the end of the thread or ligature which is passed through said aperture, and is preferably forwardly inclined from the point at which it intersects the aperture as clearly shown in the drawing figures.

In threading the needle the ligature or thread is introduced at the end of the head and is pulled through at the side. It is then carried around the body of the needle and a half hitch made which is slipped in the groove 13. On now drawing on the ligature to obtain a sufficient bite on its loose end and cutting said end off, the needle is ready for use. It is apparent that this manner of threading the needle may be easily and speedily accomplished without requiring any particular skill on the part of the user, and the needle when so threaded will be more firmly secured or bound to the ligature the greater the pull to separate'them.

WVhile the invention as shown and described is my preferred practical construction, I nevertheless recognize that changes may be made therein within the scope of the claims annexed.

' Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A needle, having an aperture entering its blunt or base end and emerging at one side thereof and a forwardly inclined groove encircling the body of the needle and intersecting the point of emergence of said aperture.

2. A needle, having an aperture passing from its blunt or base end to one side thereof, and a groove encircling the body of the needle and connecting with said aperture.

3. A needle, having an aperture passing therethrough and a groove surrounding the body of the needle and connecting with said aperture.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK BROOKS FOSTER.

Witnesses:

HARRY J. CLARKE, JENNIE O. Fos'rnn. 

